There will be a full moon tonight that is touted as a supermoon since it will be closer to the Earth than usual. The phenomenon is called perigee and it actually happens once a month as the Moon orbits the Earth. When it coincides with a full or new moon, then the moniker of 'supermoon' is given. It's nothing new and it's happened since there has been an Earth and Moon, but social media sort of gave the name a life (see Polar Vortex).
Although the Moon has appeared full the last couple of nights, and will again tonight, there is an exact moment when it's truly full...when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in perfect alignment and that occurred at 2:37 this afternoon. Perigee occurred at 5:00 this morning and just from the fun facts to know and tell...in the time since perigee until the Moon rises at 9:33 this evening it will have moved 15 miles farther away from the Earth.
One other thing, yes the supermoon is technically bigger that a normal full moon. When the Moon rises tonight, or anytime you see it, and it looks huge as it's rising, it's an optical illusion. Since there are objects to compare it to near the horizon, it appears bigger, but it will be the exact same size if you look at it when it's high in the sky.
Yet another reason to look up this evening is a spectacular pass by the International Space Station. That will begin at 9:52 in the southwestern sky. It will peak tonight nearly overhead at 9:56 and it will be out of sight by about 9:59. It will be exceptionally bright tonight and what you'll see looks like a big and bright moving 'star'. Enjoy the evening and wave to the folks flying over the Bluegrass.
It'll be terrific mid-summer night as lows drop into the mid 60s. Tomorrow will see a sky that becomes partly sunny in the afternoon. It's possible a cloud may go rogue and drop a brief shower, but it's a very small chance, just not 0. Highs tomorrow will head into the upper 80s again as the humidity will remain tolerable.
Looking ahead, the minimal rain chance will linger into Friday. Saturday will feature a few more storms around, but again most of us stay dry. By Sunday and Monday your chances of some of that needed rain will increase. We'll see where we are with the drought when the US Drought Monitor comes out Thursday.
